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Gumbercules

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Master List of Easy Changes?
« on: July 19, 2019, 02:59:56 AM »
Sorry for not reading a bunch of threads. I was just reading an article. See below:

https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/Costco-toilet-paper-boreal-forest-sustainability-14079814.php

And I thought:

"Just skip to the point. If this is so bad (which I'm ready to take for granted 1/3 of the way through the article), what change can I make to my lifestyle to improve this by at least a small but significant percent? (aside from insufficient whiping?)"

With that in mind, should there be a sticky with small (let's be honest, we're all somewhat lazy and not insanely committed to reducing our environmental impact) changes that we can make to our daily lives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, plastic pollution, heavy metal pollution, etc?

I'm not an environmentalist to a degree that probably most here are, but I'm also willing to make minor changes to my life in service of not trashing the environment. And small changes, even if only small percentage of people make them, add up. Especially if they mention them occasionally to others, who might then take them up and mention them to others occasionally, and so on.

The top thread could be the list, and there could be with each item a link to another thread that gives the reasons why the change is helpful.

Feel free to delete this thread if all of the above is useless.

 

etienne

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2019, 07:13:41 AM »
One day I met a guy who is trying to make a list of all what can be done to stop climate change.
https://streethawk734.wixsite.com/grown-ups-for-climat/how-to-the-measures

El Cid

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2019, 07:56:30 AM »
I have the shortest list ever:

reduce your consumption: whenever you buy something ask: do i really need this?

oren

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2019, 02:19:02 PM »
Even easier: reduce your energy bills. Turn off unneeded lights, switch to LED bulbs, when using A/C set the temp higher, when heating set the temp lower.
Switch to a more efficient car.  Even better, get an EV. Use an e-bike if you can.

petm

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #4 on: August 04, 2019, 02:24:32 PM »
Vote for candidates who propose solutions, not climate change deniers.

DrTskoul

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #5 on: August 04, 2019, 03:15:40 PM »
Vote for candidates who propose solutions, not climate change deniers.

Real solutions, not technobubble, but realistic solutions!! No relying on DAC, corn base anything, or magic bugs...

nanning

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #6 on: August 04, 2019, 06:13:21 PM »
When it's yellow, let it tallow. When it's brown, flush it down. :)
"It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly" - Bertrand Russell
"It is preoccupation with what other people from your groups think of you, that prevents you from living freely and nobly" - Nanning
Why do you keep accumulating stuff?

DrTskoul

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #7 on: August 04, 2019, 06:14:08 PM »
When it's yellow, let it tallow. When it's brown, flush it down. :)

That's a real solution.... ;D

TerryM

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #8 on: August 04, 2019, 09:35:15 PM »
When it's yellow, let it tallow. When it's brown, flush it down. :)

That's a real solution.... ;D
As usual those in Silicon Valley have already shown us the way.
Shit in the street & run away.


Terry

Lou

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #9 on: August 04, 2019, 09:37:51 PM »
Even easier: reduce your energy bills. Turn off unneeded lights, switch to LED bulbs, when using A/C set the temp higher, when heating set the temp lower.
Switch to a more efficient car.  Even better, get an EV. Use an e-bike if you can.

If you happen to live in a place where you can pick your electricity supplier, then go with one that provides 100% green electrons.  My wife and I do this, and I drive an EV (Nissan Leaf), which makes my marginal carbon footprint for transportation plus my total household electricity footprint both virtually zero.

That's a big improvement, but it's nowhere near enough.  A vast amount of the water consumption, energy consumption, and various nasty emissions we're responsible for all happen before we buy/use/consume a product.  So the old "reduce/reuse/recycle" advice is still excellent, as is the general concept of knowing, to the greatest extent one can, the various footprints of products and services you buy, and taking that information into account when making buying decisions.

KiwiGriff

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #10 on: August 04, 2019, 09:54:27 PM »
When it's yellow, let it tallow. When it's brown, flush it down
 ;D
Some of us do not have to abide by such imperatives .
I generate 100% of my  electricity from solar and source all domestic water from the roof .
Human waste is  gravity fed  into a colony of Eisinia fetida and from there into regenerating  native forest.
The more I flush the bigger the trees grow ......
Animals can be driven crazy by placing too many in too small a pen. Homo sapiens is the only animal that voluntarily does this to himself.
Notebooks of Lazarus Long.
Robert Heinlein.

TerryM

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #11 on: August 04, 2019, 11:53:42 PM »
<snipped>
The more I flush the bigger the trees grow ......
The grass is always greener over the septic tank. :D
Terry

KiwiGriff

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #12 on: August 05, 2019, 03:35:55 AM »
Not quite the same as a septic tank.
 We have a considerable issue in this country with older septic tanks  contaminating the environment with human waste.
A septic system is  just a large tank that allows solids to settle out and the remaining liquid to permeate the surrounding ground. Once full the remaining toxic  sludge must be pumped out and dumped into a land full. Septic tank systems  no longer comply with building standards here in NZ. Most of the alternative   systems use pumps and aerators to help digest the solids. Such mechanical pumps would represent a constant drain on a limited energy supply and also are proving costly to maintain with the pumps needing to be replaced frequently.
What we have installed is a vermiculture based bio digester that hopefully will run at no cost and little maintenance for my remaining life span.

Before we moved our houses onto here we actually had a small portable worm based composting toilet  that worked very well as a temporary solution.

Hopefully  this  information is close enough to the threads topic to not cause offence.....
Animals can be driven crazy by placing too many in too small a pen. Homo sapiens is the only animal that voluntarily does this to himself.
Notebooks of Lazarus Long.
Robert Heinlein.

TerryM

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #13 on: August 05, 2019, 04:52:18 AM »
Not quite the same as a septic tank.
 We have a considerable issue in this country with older septic tanks  contaminating the environment with human waste. ?
A septic system is  just a large tank that allows solids to settle out and the remaining liquid to permeate the surrounding ground feeds plants, then through transpiration, perspiration and evaporation the odorless water enters the atmosphere. Once full the remaining toxic  sludge must be pumped out and dumped into a land full. Undigested solids may require pumping if they've been allowed to seep into the leach field where they may produce a blockage. Septic tank systems  no longer comply with building standards here in NZ. Most of the alternative systems use pumps and aerators to help digest the solids. Pumps and aerators disturb the anaerobic (septic) sludge layer where heavier than water solids settle - if they also disturb the floating layer the tank is effectively dead. An aerated system by definition is not a septic (anaerobic) system.Such mechanical pumps would represent a constant drain on a limited energy supply and also are proving costly to maintain with the pumps needing to be replaced frequently. Gravity is your friend:)
What we have installed is a vermiculture based bio digester that hopefully will run at no cost and little maintenance for my remaining life span.

Before we moved our houses onto here we actually had a small portable worm based composting toilet  that worked very well as a temporary solution.

Hopefully  this  information is close enough to the threads topic to not cause offence.....


Not to me!
I'm amazed that any country has problems with septic tanks. (unless Hong Kong constitutes a country?) Cesspools (which sound more like what you've described above) have been illegal almost everywhere for many decades.
I pumped a septic tank in the '70s that had been installed in the 1920's - it was a 5 chamber system in a sandy Southern California region that dumped processed effluent into 250' leach field.
50 years taking care of a large family with in home laundry, but no garbage grinder.


I specialized (introduced) enzyme based drain cleaners and septic tank chemicals into California. They work very well even with the harsh detergents now in use.
If a septic tank needs to be pumped more than once/decade there is a problem either with siting, installation (probably of the leach field) or something killed the tank. Most will go for ~20 years without any attention. Add enzymes and they'll outlast your roof. - probably your house.


I think we're on topic because in rural Canada & America septic tanks are ubiquitous, and handled improperly they can really screw up a walk through your property, though with methane capture they can provide for at least a portion of your energy needs.


Beaches, swamplands, solid rock and heavy clay soils are NOT acceptable sites for septic systems.
Terry

nanning

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #14 on: August 05, 2019, 06:58:18 AM »
- Buy locally produced:
I live in the Netherlands and don't buy any products from outside Europe, except (organic) cane sugar and tea. It is astonishing that I live in a rural place with many organic food farmers but I can't buy their products in the shops. Supermarkets.. grrrr

- Buy organic food and other organic products if you can.

- Buy only the basic items. Cook your own meals. No ready meals and restaurants. No fashion. Try to repair in stead of buying new. Try to live like poorer (ordinary) people did in the 50's.

- When you've bought something and it has packaging, if it is possible, leave the packaging in the shop and only take the product with you.

(It takes me 2 months to fill a standard 50L garbage bag)
"It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly" - Bertrand Russell
"It is preoccupation with what other people from your groups think of you, that prevents you from living freely and nobly" - Nanning
Why do you keep accumulating stuff?

KiwiGriff

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #15 on: August 05, 2019, 09:28:13 AM »
 
Quote
Add enzymes and they'll outlast your roof. - probably your house.

Houses are 1950's built for NZ air force staff. We moved them 150km from the original location on the back of trucks...recycled houses.
They are  predominantly  built from NZ native timbers with concrete tile roofs and will last as long as someone bothers to maintain them.

The problems with septic tanks here have been a lack of maintenance, degradation of the  leach fields,unsuitable soils types and our high rainfall. A septic tank  would be an Anaerobic system which is not as efficient as an  Aerobic system at breaking down waste.
 
For our vermiculture system the leach field is 400 sq meters.
The geology is a well decayed volcanic "rock", more like  a silty expansive
clay  in consistency over a bed of fine limestone.  These soil types are inclined to be either extremely saturated or bone dry.  As we are close to a very large tidal harbour, whose ecology the local county is trying to protect, the rules around waste discharges are strict.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaipara_Harbour

-------

The most important things you can do ?
Limit your needless consumption as much as possible.
Buy quality products with an eye to how long things will last  rather than do they confirm to the the latest fashion trends. Recycle and reuse.



 
« Last Edit: August 05, 2019, 10:51:27 AM by KiwiGriff »
Animals can be driven crazy by placing too many in too small a pen. Homo sapiens is the only animal that voluntarily does this to himself.
Notebooks of Lazarus Long.
Robert Heinlein.

TerryM

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #16 on: August 05, 2019, 01:11:47 PM »
Quote
Add enzymes and they'll outlast your roof. - probably your house.

Houses are 1950's built for NZ air force staff. We moved them 150km from the original location on the back of trucks...recycled houses.
They are  predominantly  built from NZ native timbers with concrete tile roofs and will last as long as someone bothers to maintain them.

The problems with septic tanks here have been a lack of maintenance, degradation of the  leach fields,unsuitable soils types and our high rainfall. A septic tank  would be an Anaerobic system which is not as efficient as an  Aerobic system at breaking down waste. (?)
 
For our vermiculture system the leach field is 400 sq meters.
The geology is a well decayed volcanic "rock", more like  a silty expansive
clay  in consistency over a bed of fine limestone.  These soil types are inclined to be either extremely saturated or bone dry.  As we are close to a very large tidal harbour, whose ecology the local county is trying to protect,
the rules around waste discharges are strict.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaipara_Harbour

-------

The most important things you can do ?
Limit your needless consumption as much as possible.
Buy quality products with an eye to how long things will last  rather than do they confirm to the the latest fashion trends. Recycle and reuse.


Wow!
The section I bolded adds up to somewhere between very very bad and terrible!


Many regions in California would consider such a site as only inhabitable with a sealed storage tank requiring weekly pumping when occupied. (Big Bear & Lake Arrowhead come to mind.)
I've seen entire fjords where every building had been razed -  these sites weren't far removed from the conditions that you're describing.


Free advice - if "D" boxes are included in your leach system add a liquid broad based enzyme mix to each box on a yearly basis - if not install below surface standpipes along the field and add the enzymes annually at these points. Your system is going to need to be in very good shape.


Leach field enzymes have no effect on your tank but liquefy everything other than metallic solids and living roots that have entered the leach system.
Take your clothes to a laundry/laundromat & wash dishes by hand.
For any reading with a septic tank, the enzymes can simply be flushed down the toilet & dry enzymes are OK.
In sink "garbage disposals" add strain to any system.
Plant some trees close to the field.- get the moisture back into the air.


I spent 6 weeks in court defending enzyme use back when the concept was new. I've still a string of felony arrests that would make Al Capone blush - no convictions because enzymes actually work as advertised.  8)


My breed of enzymes would liquefy a newspaper in <1 hr, and cause a paper cup to leak while holding it in your hand. The prosecution spent 3 weeks saying the products didn't work - then another 3 weeks trying to convince the court that they worked so well that I was ripping people off by selling them too much of it?


I could guarantee sink lines for 1 year & septic tanks for 5.  :D


Best Luck!
Apologize if pedantic, but broad based enzymes were once a big part of my life.
Terry


Tom_Mazanec

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Villabolo

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #18 on: August 26, 2019, 12:39:08 AM »
If it doesn't have solar panels, paint your roof white.
In the multiversic symphony
In the place of endless possibilities
In the land of dreams we'll meet

nanning

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #19 on: August 26, 2019, 06:47:30 AM »
- Change all your lighting to LED lights.

- Wash up your dishes by hand.

- Use ecological products for cleaning and washing.

- Buy clothes made of natural (organic) fibers.

- Well, this is probably not so easy: Stop eating/drinking chocolate and drinking coffee. A cup of tea with honey is nice.

- Register your energy&water meters weekly and be aware of how much you use and what causes it.
"It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly" - Bertrand Russell
"It is preoccupation with what other people from your groups think of you, that prevents you from living freely and nobly" - Nanning
Why do you keep accumulating stuff?

Tom_Mazanec

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Re: Master List of Easy Changes?
« Reply #20 on: September 21, 2019, 01:14:05 AM »
9 practical ways to tackle climate change, starting in your kitchen
https://www.nbcnews.com/better/lifestyle/9-practical-ways-tackle-climate-change-starting-your-kitchen-ncna1056296
Quote
“There is good reason for optimism and it starts with people talking about climate change and saying, ‘What can I do?’” Fiekowsky tells NBC News BETTER. “The survival and flourishing of humanity is our responsibility and it is doable.”

Much of what is required to combat climate change feels bigger than us, but we can all take simple and practical measures to benefit the planet (or at least, stop piling on the damage). Consumers appear to be ready and willing to make the necessary adjustments, with a recent report from Pinterest finding that searches for “sustainable” are up 108 percent, and searches for “save the planet” are up 380 percent.